Category: Blog

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How Will Kevin Durant’s Injury Impact Game 6?

The Golden State Warriors are only one victory away from forcing a Game 7 during the NBA Finals. However, they need to accomplish it without Kevin Durant, the team’s All-Star forward, who went down in Game 6 due to an Achilles injury earlier this week.

What exactly does Kevin Durant’s injury mean for his team when they face the Toronto Raptors in Game 6? To answer this vital question, we asked 4 of our basketball experts to give their advice on the injury and to tell you how this will affect things in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Emily Thomson

The Toronto Raptors are required to win one of the next two matches and better not be sorry for it either. Winning a championship essentially means that you don’t have to say sorry for the way it happened. If Toronto is unable to do that, the last 3 minutes during Game 5 will haunt them forever. For Golden State, it means that they are on a freeroll. There isn’t anybody that anticipates that they will win this now. If they do, they are giants!

Scott Windhorst

The Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr need to find alternative ways to score points without Kevin Durant. If you look at the Per Second Spectrum, you will realise that the two most-used plays for the Golden State Warriors were Durant isolations and Durant post-ups. He can be seen as the centrepiece for the team’s offence. He also managed to win the MVP award during the Finals in the last two seasons. He was regarded as the best scorer during the NBA playoffs, and his recent injury means that the splash brothers need to overcome the increase in defence and search for ways to score more to cover for Kevin Durant’s absence.

During Game 5, the team managed to do so with a record-breaking 3-point scoring performance. However, it’s highly unlikely that the Golden State Warriors will accumulate 30 3-pointers during Game 6. So you need to ask yourself, where will the remaining points come from now?

Timothy Lampard

The Toronto Raptors are back to being the favourites to win this year. The arrival of Kevin Durant caused a lot of havoc in the series, especially when you look at his performance before he went down due to an injury. However, without Kevin Durant, and perhaps Kevon Looney, who managed to bring new life to the game after his chest injury, it’s difficult to imagine that the Golden State Warriors will pull something magical off in the next two matches.

Kevin Snellings

The Toronto Raptors are the better team when Kevin Durant is not playing. The players are more athletic and longer than the Golden State Warriors, as they can maintain both defensive and offensive pressure which the Warriors are unable to overcome. The game was undecided while Durant was playing. However, without him, the Raptors are favourites to win this year.

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The Summer of Soccer

The European Club season of 2018/19 came to an end on Saturday evening with the final of the Champions League. However, there’s no rest for football enthusiasts as there are four international men’s tournaments, including the Africa Cup of Nations, the Gold Cup, the Copa America, and the UEFA Nations League along with the Women’s World Cup taking place over the next six weeks. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most important days to binge-watch some great soccer matches during your summer.

9 June 2019

The day begins with the Women’s World Cup where you can witness three powerhouses, including England, Brazil, and Italy, as they clash in tournament openers against Scotland, Jamaica, and Australia, respectively. This is going to be quite a test for the England team who are considered favourites in the tournament and won’t be able to slip up at all during the early stages. During the UEFA Nations League, you can expect Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, or England to be winners.

11 June 2019

This will be a spectacular day in the Women’s World Cup as the United States kick off against Thailand to defend their championship. Earlier on in the day, you can also watch the Netherlands clash against New Zealand.

18 June 2019

Make sure you get some sleep during the day as there will be loads of entertainment during the night. Brazil and Italy will face each other in the group stage of the Women’s World Cup before Selecao takes on Venezuela at 8:30 pm in the Copa America. You will also need to stay awake for the United States men in the Gold Cup against Guyana.

22 June 2019

In November 2017, the United States managed to lose horribly against Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, this will be the first time they can have their revenge in the group stage of the Gold Cup. Before this match, you can also enjoy an exciting game between Peru and Brazil in the Copa America. If this is not enough, there are 5 MLS games to keep you entertained.

29 June 2019

Towards the end of June, things will get quite dangerous in all four soccer tournaments, and you’ll be able to enjoy a total of 8 matches to keep you going. You will have two quarterfinals in the Women’s World Cup, a quarterfinal in Copa America, two quarterfinals in the Gold Cup, and 3 African Nations Cup matches, including Ghana vs Cameroon. If this is not enough, you can also look forward to 9 MLS games.

2 July 2019

Three of the soccer competitions will reach a vital point as you’ll be able to look forward to 3 semifinal matches in the Gold Cup, Copa America, and Women’s World Cup. You will also have a total of 4 games in the African Nations Cup.

7 July 2019

This will be known as the Day of Finals as you’ll see the winners being crowned for the Gold Cup, Copa America, and Women’s World Cup.

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Max Homa’s Journey to Win $1.42 Million

They are mostly just numbers, often separated by a couple of zeros and commas. In this case, these zeros and commas signify a prize pool in golf. These are numbers that have grown so much it makes you numb.

Even though it’s no longer utilized as a benchmark to regulate PGA Tour standings, money is still significant at the end. FedEx points aren’t spent, but cash on the other hand does. If you consider yourself a professional golfer who pays to go around the country from your pocket, the massive numbers will look like a dream.

Max Homa’s Victory

So, on Sunday afternoon at Quail Hollow, you could find Max Homa. He was cruising comfortably to his very first PGA Tour win with a remarkable 4-under-par at the renowned Wells Fargo Championship. However, it’s the numbers that impressed him as he managed to walk away with a jaw-dropping $1.42 million. A prize pool that he could only dream of taking home before he started playing in the championship.

Most of you will shrug at the news of Max Homa, and why not? Most professional golfers make several million during their careers. Justin Rose has managed to make over $2.5 million in 2019 and doesn’t even feature in the top 10. Matt Kuchar, currently leading the FedEx Cup points won $1.2 million and has made a total of $49 million in his golfing career.

To give you an idea of Max Homa and his winning streak we have to go back two years. In 2017, he participated in a full schedule of championship and tournaments and only managed to take home a total of $18,000.

So, the prize money he received on Sunday evening seemed a bit obscene. There’s no denying that the prize money will be eaten by travel expenses, lodging, caddie fees, and taxes, but it signifies something authentic to a golf player that was missing cuts two years ago at an alarming rate.

Max Homa’s Career

Max Homa managed to win the NCAA Individual title in 2013 at California. Within the same year, he found himself on the U.S Walker Cup team alongside Justin Thomas. Both golfers decided to turn pro after that, making their debuts in the PGA Tour at the Safeway Open. This is where Max Homa managed to tie for 9th. Both players also managed to make it to the 2015 PGA Tour.

However, while Justin Thomas managed to develop into one of the most elite players in the world, Max Homa had a difficult time to find his feet. In 2015, he lost his tour card after the season ended and had to make a return to the web.com Tour. He eventually got his card back but only made two cuts from 17 tournaments in 2017. Therefore, it’s quite phenomenal to see how Max Homa made it from the bottom right to the top in 2019.

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South Africa Needs To Place More Trust in the Back-Three

The Super Rugby sides in South Africa can produce better results, allowing the South African national team to provide a stronger challenge in Japan during the Rugby World Cup. All they have to do is place a little bit of trust in the back-three players according to Naas Botha.

The excellent teams in the nation are well-known for their prowess and strength when it comes to their forwards. However, Botha recently told reporters that the fullbacks and wingers could also offer match-winning abilities when they are given a chance.

South African Rugby Players

Curwin Bosch, who made his first start of the Rugby season as a fullback, was awarded man of the match when the Sharks grandly destroyed the Lions on Friday at Emirates Airline Park. Bosch managed to combine phenomenally with his wingers Lwazi Movovo, Makazole Mpimpi, and Aphelele Fassi as the replacement for a living embodiment of the point made by Botha that we haven’t seen for a very long time from a South African team.

Elsewhere this season in Super Rugby, Cornell Hendricks, Rosko Specman, and Warrick Gelant have impressed incredibly while playing for the Bulls once they received a limited opportunity to prove their worth on the field. It’s necessarily only the Stormers that have struggled to produce a back-three worth mentioning.

Factor in that Aphiwe Dyantyi and S’busiso Nkosi, who were likely the first pick wingers for the Boks before the Super Rugby season kicked off, have both suffered injuries during the season. Cheslin Kolbe and Willie le Roux is undoubtedly going to be on the plane towards Japan, subject to fitness and form, then coach Rassie Erasmus of the Springboks has a wealth of players at his disposal to consider for the number 15, 14, and 11 jumpers.

Comments from Naas Botha

“I am well aware that South Africans love direct rugby. However, when it comes to the back-three South African rugby players, consisting of a fullback and two wings. I will always believe that when you provide space for them in a one-on-one situation, that they will be able to surprise you,” stated Botha who is a Hall of Famer who played for both South Africa and Northern Transvaal, winning a total of 28 caps with South Africa.


“Most of the time, South Africans believe that placing pressure on the opposition with a kick is the right choice. However, if the ball doesn’t fall where you want it to fall, the opposing team usually scores against us after that. This is exactly the reason why we need to be extra careful in the upcoming Rugby World Cup.”


With all this in mind, Naas Botha is still pleased with the current Rugby situation in South Africa as well as the team that has been selected for the squad that will go to Japan in September. He only wants the team to focus on their weaknesses and what their opponents tend to do in each game to succeed.

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Messi Will Stay at Camp Nou Forever According to Barcelona President

Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president of Barcelona, has recently told reporters that he wants the football superstar, Lionel Messi, to stay linked to the football club forever and that he is planning to sit down with the Barcelona. He is looking to extend his contract with the team.

Messi managed to sign a deal less than two years ago that will run until the end of 2021, taking him through to his 34th birthday. Messi, the Argentina international, is showcasing absolutely no signs of slowing down when it comes to playing for the club. He already managed to score 42 goals this season in all competitions and the Barcelona president is already considering what would be his 10th, and perhaps the last, football deal at the club for Lionel Messi.

Josep Maria Bartomeu Comments on Lionel Messi

“We truly want Lionel Messi to have a long football career so everyone can continue enjoying his skills and abilities on the pitch,” Bartomeu stated. “Messi has broken down several borders. Everyone truly admires the talent he has, and he gets applauded around the world by rival fans.

Bartomeu added, “We want to renew Messi’s contract as soon as possible. He is still a young player at heart, and everyone can see that. He still has two years to go on his current contract at Barcelona and is always innovating and improving with every game he plays. I think he still has loads of years ahead of him on the pitch for Barcelona and in the next few months, I will sit down with Lionel Messi to ensure he has many more years at Camp Nou.

Bartomeu continued stating that “Messi is undoubtedly a one-club man; there’s no denying it. However, it goes far beyond what he does on the pitch against other opponents as his relationship with his current club will last forever. We want Lionel Messi always to be part of Barcelona, whether he continues playing for the team or simply linked to the club in another way after he retires.”

Lionel Messi’s Career

Lionel Messi is also considered the top goalscorer for Barcelona with a total of 594 goals. This allowed him to surpass Andres Iniesta when it comes to appearances for the club. He is currently second in the history of the club as Xavi Hernandez is the only player ahead of him with 767 appearances. Lionel Messi has appeared a total of 676 times for Barcelona.

Since Lionel Messi made his incredible debut during 2004, Barcelona has managed to enjoy more success than any other span in the history of the club. The club has claimed 8 of the last 11 La Liga titles, 4 out of 5 Champions League titles, and won 4 Copa del Reys.

However, there’s no denying that a time will come when Messi decided to hang up his boots and the president of Barcelona states that it’s vital for the club to prepare for when that happens.

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Jusuf Nurkic Suffers Severe Compound Fractures in Leg

Jusuf Nurkic, the centre for the Portland Trail Blazers, suffered several compound fractures to the fibula and tibia in his lower left leg during a double-overtime victory against the Brooklyn Nets that took place on Monday evening and will, unfortunately, be out for the rest of the season.

Jusuf Nurkic’s Injury

Nurkic jumped for a rebound where he came down in a very awkward position in a tangle of bodies that occurred under the net. Once he hit the floor, the players from the Brooklyn Nets that were around him witnessed the severity of his injury and started sprinting away. The basketball arena immediately went into silence as the medical personnel of the Blazers rushed to attend to Nurkic’s injury. A stretcher was instantly called, and with the assistance of a handful of Blazers, including Al-Farouq Aminu, Rodney Hood, and Damian Lillard, the 7-foot Nurkic was quickly loaded onto the stretcher.

Damian Lillard’s Comments

“It made me feel incredibly sick,” Lillard stated. “I believe he attempted to tip it in before he crashed the glass and I witnessed him hitting the ground and quickly roll over, and I was under the impression someone might have hit his face again. While I was walking over to see what was going on, I noticed that everyone was turning around and walking away quite quickly, and then I noticed his leg. I truly hate to see it happen to someone like him.”

Lillard stated that it reminded him of the Team USA exhibition in 2014 that took place in Las Vegas when Paul George had his injury, a match Lillard was also playing in. “Nurkic’s injury looked exactly like that to me,” Lillard stated. It also brought back memories of the gruesome ankle injury of Gordon Hayward that occurred during the 2017/18 opening night game.

Terry Stotts stated that Nurkic was rushed to a local hospital and didn’t have much else to add as the head coach for the Blazers. “It’s horrible,” Stotts stated. Stotts also added that the locker room for the Blazers was tranquil after the injury occurred and Zach Collins felt like the team lost after the injury occurred. Enes Kanter stated that the entire team held a silent moment for Jusuf Nurkic after the match.

“Nobody had anything to say,” Kanter stated. This is a crushing and unexpected blow for the Blazers, who have managed to surge in recent games even though CJ McCollum has been sidelined after a knee injury. They managed to defeat the Brooklyn Nets in a 148-144 double-overtime match and clinched a playoff berth in the process.

Nurkic’s injury occurred with only 2 minutes left on the clock, while the Blazers were leading the game with 2 points. They managed to close the Brooklyn Nets with a phenomenal 3-pointer by Rodney Hood along with clutch free throws by Curry to finally seal the game for the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Denver Nuggets Are Heading to the Playoffs After Six-Year Drought

The Denver Nuggets are finally going to the postseason after a drought that lasted a total of 6 years. Nikola Jokic had 13 rebounds and 21 points, and the Denver Nuggets managed to rally during the 4th quarter to defeat the Boston Celtics in a great 114-105 victory on Monday evening. This allowed them to clinch their very first playoff berth since the 2012/13 season.

Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics

Will Barton managed to add 20 points for the Denver Nuggets who have now won a total of 4 consecutive games. The Denver Nuggets, with a 47-22 record, are currently tied with the Golden State Warriors for the best record within the Western Conference.

The Denver Nuggets managed to win a total of 46 matches in the previous season. However, they, unfortunately, missed the playoffs after they lost against Minnesota during overtime on the final day of the NBA regular season. Thankfully, this season, their 47th win worked like a charm.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Michael Malone stated in a recent interview who is the head coach for the Denver Nuggets. “This has taken us four years to achieve. Two consecutive years are coming up just short. We will be using that as tonight’s motivation moment.”

There were loads of smiles in the locker room of the Denver Nuggets after the game.
“We are just going to enjoy this,” Jamal Murray stated. “We are going to take a moment and realise how far we’ve come this season. It’s fantastic to look ahead at the moment while enjoying it at the same time.”

Boston Celtics

Kyrie Irving was leading the Boston Celtics with a total of 30 points, while Al Horford managed to finish with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds. This was the Celtics second loss in 7 matches.

“You need to play exceptionally well for 48 minutes against the Nuggets,” Irving stated. “They managed to come back from 18 down and kept firing.”

The Boston Celtics are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference, one and a half games behind Indiana in 4th place and two and a half games behind the 76ers who they will face on Wednesday. This match essentially felt like a game between 2 postseason teams. The game remained tight during the second half, with no team having more than a two-possession lead during the third quarter.

However, the Denver Nuggets managed to get some breathing room during the final period and to an impressive 106-94 lead with only 3:47 remaining on the clock. The Boston Celtics managed to score seven successive times to get within 5 points. However, Barton managed to stop the run thanks to a layup. After Horford missed a 3-pointer, Paul Millsap managed to seal the deal with a 4-point play that allowed the Denver Nuggets to stretch their lead to 112-101 with only 31.3 seconds left on the clock — well deserved to the Nuggets. Now let’s see how they do in the playoffs.

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Mercedes Releases New F1 Car for 2019

The Mercedes Formula One car, known as the W10, has recently hit the track for the very first time at the popular Silverstone racetrack. The Mercedes W10 is the F1 car that Lewis Hamilton will use to potentially defend his world championship in 2019. It is also the F1 car that the Mercedes team will hope to deliver a 6th consecutive constructors championship that will equal the record held by Ferrari for successive victories.

The dominance by Mercedes in F1 since the last major regulation to engine change during 2014 has witnessed them winning the past five championships and a total of 74 races from 100. Along with Toro Rosso and Red Bull, the W10 will be the first car to test around the Silverstone racetrack as the team dedicated one of the filing days to a phenomenal shakedown of the new W10. Valtteri Bottas will have the first go before he hands it over the Hamilton. The two racers will only have 100km to test the new car according to filing regulations. Once testing is completed, it will go to Barcelona for the official pre-season testing during the opening day on Monday.

Comments from the Mercedes Team

“A new set of challenges will be presented for all of us during the 2019 season,” Toto Wolff stated. “There have been a few significant changes to the regulations this year. Therefore, we need to start from scratch which means we need to prove our worth once again against our competitors and against our own expectations. The season starts with zero points and therefore we will take nothing for granted which means there’s no feeling of entitlement to be in pole position. Due to the new regulations, each team will have a shot at the title and we see each of them as a potential threat.”

Hamilton also commented, stating: “This will be my 7th year with the Mercedes team and the determination and energy in the team is truly inspiring. The atmosphere truly starts at the beginning of a new season once you see how the car comes together. After that, you get to the shakedown and get the opportunity to drive the car. Believe me, its something that never gets old.”

The New Regulations in 2019

The new season will bring a brand-new set of changes to regulations in 2019. This includes revisions to the brake ducts, barge boards, rear and front wings in an attempt to improve overtaking. These changes have the potential to truly upset the order. However, James Allison, the technical director for Mercedes, is hopeful that these changes could also present the perfect opportunity for the team to finally cement their position at the top of the adrenaline-infused sport.

The W10 is a major improvement over the idiosyncratic W08. The Mercedes team were quite competitive when it came to the track which also plagued them in recent years. However, thanks to the improvements within the new W10, the team feels that they can be far more competitive this time around.

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Liverpool Needs to Improve to Boost Hopes for Title

Fabinho has recently told reporters that the Liverpool football club needs to find solutions to overcome deep-defending clubs after their recent dip in performance. The Reds’ push for the title in the Premier League has slowed down by successive draws, with Manchester City as the reigning champions only three points behind them.

Leicester City and West Ham United have both managed to frustrate Liverpool within a space of a week. It is for this reason that Fabinho stated that certain adjustments are required to maintain their lead in the Premier League.

Fabinho’s Comments on Liverpool

“We have loads of confidence,” the right-back for Liverpool stated. “We enjoyed a sensational December that was near perfect, but we are currently experiencing a dip that needs to be rectified.

“It’s nearly impossible to explain how this happened to us. I think the teams we are playing against now are sitting extremely deep. Therefore, we need to do things differently, and perhaps we aren’t achieving this at the moment as we are unable to find the necessary spaces.

“Usually, we want to attack through the middle, and this becomes quite a problem against defensive and physically strong clubs. We seriously need to find solutions, but in the last few matches, we haven’t.”

Liverpool in the Premier League

Manchester City managed to return to the top of the league after they beat Everton in a 2-0 victory on Wednesday night. However, the Reds have a game in hand as they will host Bournemouth on Saturday at Anfield.

“We want to be more superior when it comes to football every single day. However, this is not currently happening at the moment,” Fabinho stated. “We are well aware of our quality, but we are also aware that we can do much better.

“If we can improve on our quality, we will maintain our lead in the Premier League. However, talking about it and actually implementing it are two different things. Personally, I’m not too stressed about it. However, we understand that we have to give more in our next game to succeed.

“Defeating Bournemouth is vital if we wish to maintain our 3-point lead. We are only looking at the next match, and we have our eyes set on beating Bournemouth.

“After this weekend, there are loads of difficult matches we need to conquer. Fortunately, we will have a few key players back, allowing the manager more options during these games.”

James Milner has also stated that Liverpool should actually enjoy their time at the top of the table instead of seeing it as a burden. Milner, who has claimed two league winner medals when he was at Manchester City is well aware of the pressure that goes with a title race in the Premier League.

Obviously, there’s still a long way to go before the season comes to an end. However, if Liverpool can make the necessary changes to their squad, they should be able to win this year.

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Super Bowl 53 – What to Look For

The Conference Championship that took place on Sunday saw huge upsets in both the AFC and NFC divisions, leaving us with a glorious Super Bowl 53 matchup between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams from Atlanta on 3 February 2019.

Don’t you think the conference championship on Sunday was the greatest ever? Both matches went into overtime which is actually the first time that this has ever happened. For the 4th time since the merger occurred, both road teams managed to win. Therefore, we have the New England Patriots facing the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53 from Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to look forward to. This will also be the third time that the NFL title will be hosted in Atlanta.

Super Bowl 53 Betting Analysis

Super Bowl 53 is essentially a rematch. The Bill Belichick/Tom Brady dynasty with the New England Patriots started on 3 February 2002, in Super Bowl 36 as Brady was leading a 20-17 upset against the favoured St. Louis Rams. This will be the 9th Super Bowl appearance for Belichick and Tom Brady and the third consecutive Super Bowl which is kind of absurd. Only the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills have reached at least three consecutive Super Bowls.

The Rams and Patriots last played in 2016 during the regular season where the Patriots won an easy 26-10 at home. However, the Rams back then were awful and were still coached by Jeff Fisher.

New England Patriots

Brady and the Patriots looked extremely mortal during the regular season this year, but that all changed during the playoffs. The Patriots didn’t have any issues during the Divisional Round when they faced the Los Angeles Chargers and managed to upset the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. Sony Michel played a big role during the Chiefs game, accumulating 113 rushing yards and two scores. He currently has five rushing touchdowns in the postseason. Fans also shouldn’t be surprised if this is the last game for Rob Gronkowski.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are home during Super Bowl 53. They are incredibly lucky to be here following one of the worst calls in the history of the league on a pass interference that managed to benefit the Rams when they played against the Saints. If that was called, and the league admitted that it should have been, the New Orleans Saints would have won due to a field goal during the final seconds of the match. Instead, the Los Angeles Rams managed to tie the game on a late field goal and managed to win it on a field goal during overtime thanks to Greg Zuerlein. The Rams are currently the best NFL team on the road with a 14-3 record over the past two seasons which includes playoffs.